It began in relative obscurity on a mid-November morning and ended last Friday on the biggest stage possible for a Pennsylvania high school girls basketball team.

In between, the Spring-Ford Rams navigated an epic 18-week journey they will remember for the rest of their lives.

From the time they hit the court for their season opener Dec. 7, the Rams had high expectations heaped upon them.

Rather than shy from those lofty goals — and the pressure that invariably accompanies them — the Rams embraced their destiny.

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Their story is one born of heartbreak. One of hard work, determination, teamwork and sacrifice.

And ultimately, one of unparalleled success, with Spring-Ford bringing home the school’s first official state championship in a team sport, and the first girls basketball crown ever for an area school.

Here’s one final look back at that memory-laden road from Royersford to Hershey, where the Rams defeated Cumberland Valley 60-45 in the PIAA-AAAA final.

***

While most of Spring-Ford’s students were buzzing about the football team’s District 1-AAAA quarterfinal against Ridley back on Friday, Nov. 16, the members of the Rams girls basketball team had other things on their minds.

That day marked the official opening of winter sports practice, and the Rams were on the court at 6 a.m.

For seniors Sarah Payonk, Brittany Moore, Courtney Hinnant and Sammi Haas, it was their moment to begin to author a memorable script for their final seasons.

For juniors such as Sammy Stipa and the vastly improved Shelby Mueller, it was an opportunity to make their marks as impact players. And for promising sophomore Maggie Locke — who rounded out what would eventually become the seven-player main rotation coach Jeff Rinehimer would employ throughout the season — it was a valuable chance to get some on-the-job training on a high-profile team.

Those seven were joined by seven more on the varsity squad: senior Kirsten Landis; juniors Kaity Dougherty and Cindy Nicholson; sophomores Abby Beyer and Julia Roshelli; and freshmen Molly Hynes and Amy Roth.

Ironically, the most anticipated campaign in program history didn’t begin all that well.

In their season opener, the Rams blew a seven-point lead after three quarters and fell 58-56 to Notre Dame Academy in the Blue Chip Tip-Off Classic at Archbishop Carroll. The Irish got 33 points from Bucknell-bound star Meg McGurk, including the go-ahead foul shots with 3.5 seconds left.

That, however, would be the final time a team from Pennsylvania would defeat Spring-Ford.

***

The Rams were an intriguing blend of skill, size, depth and experience. Though Stipa had been named third-team all-state the year before, Spring-Ford lacked what many considered a true star.

That was fine with Rinehimer and his longtime right-hand man Mickey McDaniel, who spent a majority of their practices emphasizing the importance of defense — whether it be frenetic fullcourt pressure or stifling, in-your-face, halfcourt ‘D.’

“Offense comes and goes,” Rinehimer was fond of saying, “but defense is a constant.”

The Rams fully bought into that concept, a testament to their character and makeup.

There was the 5-foot-11 Payonk, whose wingspan proved a formidable deterrent to opposing passes and whose team-first mentality translated into other statistical categories beyond scoring.

There was Moore, a gritty 5-foot-5 guard whose hounding effort on defense was complemented by her perimeter prowess when the Rams were on the attack.

There was Hinnant, a 5-foot-10 guard/forward who graciously accepted her sixth-man role — though she would likely start on any other team in the state.

There was the 5-foot-6 Haas, whose blue-collar effort was most apparent at the defensive end, but whose contributions also carried over in the rebounding and offensive departments, when necessary.

There was Stipa, a 5-foot-5 dynamo who represented the team’s engine. An ultra-competitive sort, she elevated her game as the season progressed and was the team’s best defender and top scorer.

There was the 5-foot-10 Mueller, who along with Haas tremendously improved her game in the offseason on the way to enjoying a breakout campaign.

And there was Locke, a 5-foot-10 force who provided solid support on the glass and in transition while offering a glimpse of the squad’s bright future.

***

That the Rams would maneuver through their Pioneer Athletic Conference season like a plow through corn was pretty much a given.

So in the offseason, Rinehimer and McDaniel put together a daunting non-league slate, a nine-game gauntlet against some of the top squads in the state and beyond.

Teams like Ossining, N.Y., which featured a UConn recruit in Saniya Chong and entered the season ranked in the USA Today’s Super 25.

Like traditional power Mount St. Joseph Academy.

Like Wilson, which would go on to win the District 3-AAAA crown.

Like Chartiers Valley, which would eventually reach the Class AAAA semifinals.

And like St. Anthony’s, N.Y., Prep Charter (an eventual Class AAA quarterfinalist), University High of Orlando, Fla., and Seton Keough, Md.

That the Rams went 7-2 in their non-league contests should have sent an early message they were primed to make a long postseason run.

That they dispatched eventual New York state champion Ossining 81-65 in their regular season finale made it clear they were the team to beat — not only in District 1 but the state.

***

For the second straight season, Spring-Ford was simply dominant in the PAC-10. The Rams went 13-0 in league play in running their league regular season winning streak to 30 games.

Spring-Ford’s closest games were against Liberty Division rivals Boyertown (52-34, 65-45) and Methacton (66-45, 48-27), two teams that would go on to qualify for the PIAA-AAAA tourney.

The Rams officially opened their postseason run with a 69-20 PAC-10 semifinal win over Frontier Division runner-up Upper Perkiomen, then broke away from a four-point halftime lead thanks to a suffocating defensive effort in a 53-23 victory over Methacton for their second straight PAC-10 title.

It was more of the same in the District 1 tourney, where top seeded Spring-Ford took apart William Tennent 70-32 in the opening round and produced workmanlike efforts in eliminating Downingtown West (52-31) in the second round and up-and-coming Central Bucks West (60-45) in the quarters.

The closer the Rams got to district gold, the more they turned up their peformance.

Against Bayard Rustin in the district semis, they opened a mind-boggling 38-9 halftime lead en route to a 63-30 victory.

Then, in the final, Spring-Ford dismantled Mount St. Joseph Academy 51-30 before an impressed crowd at the Pavilion at Villanova University.

***

From there, one last frontier remained for the Rams — the PIAA title, the final leg of their championship Triple Crown.

Spring-Ford had advanced to the semifinals last year, but a nip-and-tuck battle into the second quarter with perennial power Archbishop Carroll turned into a 65-43 defeat.

The tears had barely dried on the faces of the returning Rams when they made a vow to return and complete the mission.

And by this point, their laser-like focus combined with big-picture perspective had put them in position to make that dream a reality.

Spring-Ford opened states with a 59-41 victory over District 3 No. 7 seed Hershey defined by its balance — Stipa scored 16 points to lead four players in double figures.

In the second round, the Rams found their hands full with District 2 champion Wallenpaupack and 6-foot senior Alexix Roman, who turned in a monster 23-point, 18-rebound performance. But Moore scored a team-high 14 points, highlighted by some timely 3-pointers, and the Rams advanced with a 58-44 victory.

Stipa and Payonk took turns leading the way in a 67-45 quarterfinal victory over District 3 No. 4 seed Dover in which five players scored at least nine points. Stipa had nine of her 15 points in the second quarter as the Rams opened a 32-21 lead. Then Payonk erupted for 11 of her 15 points in the final 4:01 of the third quarter to extend the advantage to 51-35.

That victory earned the Rams their second straight PIAA Final Four appearance and an eagerly anticipated showdown with District 12 champ Cardinal O’Hara.

The Lions were every bit as talented as the Rams (and even a little taller), and it was anyone’s game for 32 scintillating minutes at William Tennent High.

Stipa scored a team-high 17 points, Payonk hit the go-ahead foul shot with 53 seconds left and Hinnant was a difference-maker on defense in the late going of what wound up a 53-49 victory that sent the Rams to the state final against District 3 No. 5 seed Cumberland Valley.

With their legions of fans watching courtside at Hershey’s Giant Center and a statewide audience taking in the action courtesy of the Pennsylvania Cable Network, the Rams hammered out a 60-45 victory that was oh-so appropriate.

Spring-Ford got its typically balanced effort on offense, thanks to 11 points each from Stipa, Moore and Haas. Hinnant and Locke helped the Rams display their vaunted depth as they won their 24th straight game.

But most of all, Spring-Ford brought home the state championship thanks to its unyielding devotion to unrelenting defense.

Over the final two quarters, Cumberland Valley’s high-octane attack led by the triple threat of Jackie Falconer, Maddie Torresin and Kelly Jekot wilted in the face of the Rams’ relentless pressure.